


Can't Breathe

by junheew



Category: A.C.E (Beat Interactive Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Crushes, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, I'm sorry Jun, Jun being a panicked gay, Just boys being soft, M/M, Nightmares, Save Me, Sleep, Sleep Paralysis, Sleepy Cuddles, What's new?, Wow I'm so soft for Dongjun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-19 03:13:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14865518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junheew/pseuds/junheew
Summary: Junhee doesn't mind sleeping in the haunted room.He doesn’t believe in ghosts anyway.Only demons.





	Can't Breathe

**Author's Note:**

> This is inspired by that "drunk" live they had in their dorm in Japan lmao7  
> This sucks sorry

”Do you really believe the story about that old man?” Donghun chuckles.  
  
Their live ended a long time ago, but the topic continued as they moved to the kitchen table.  
  
“More than believing in it- I just find it fascinating.” Byeongkwan answers.  
  
They sit around like that for a while. Donghun and Byeongkwan exchanging old horror stories. Sehyoon listening half-heartedly and adding some _mhm’s_ when he recognizes some of the urban legends. Junhee can’t seem to remember any of the stories though. Ever since he was a child he has stayed away from everything remotely creepy. Sometimes even skipping hangouts with his friends because he knew they’d watch horror movies. According to his mother he’s always been stuck to people. A hand forever holding onto hers or his sisters’. A scaredy cat, more or less. Still, Junhee remember his childhood as quite warm, despite some less happy moments, but he figures no one can have a perfect childhood. Everything was going well until around his teenage years when _the creature_ made its grand entrance. Something that truly changed his everyday life. Adding to his already tough times spent fighting hormones, he also had to battle-

“We should sleep.”  
  
Donghun is getting up, muttering something about _spacing out_ and _looking tired_. They all agree. Junhee volunteers to sleep in the room where the infamous ghost creeps around. Or, actually, Byeongkwan lost the round of rock, paper, scissors that would determine which one of them would spend the night there. But the fear in the younger man’s eyes, accompanied with that sickly adorable squirrel hat on his head, made it hard for Junhee to say no. So he assures them; he won’t mind. He doesn’t believe in ghosts anyway. Only demons.

Junhee pulls the cover over his exhausted body and wiggles a bit to find the most comfortable position. Finally he can get some rest. It’s simple, Junhee thinks to himself. Just close your eyes and think of nothing. Except, that’s not really how it works. Not for him. It’s nighttime that Junhee dreads the most. Alone with his thoughts pulling him out of his dreamland. Normally he’d listen to some tropical sounds on YouTube, but the shitty internet connection won’t let him. Instead, worries about their future pops up. Is he a good leader? What should they do to develop and grow as a team? What should _he_ do? And then there’s Yuchan, who he can’t meet up with as much as he wish he could. Is he getting enough sleep? Are the rest of the members healthy too or are they hiding something from him? He shakes his head, part of him wishes that all of his troubles would get all mixed up and vanish. But they won’t. A long time is spent changing his position, turning his pillow over to the cooler side and trying to balance his body heat. And eventually…

Junhee drifts off into unconsciousness.

The grass is poking him like tiny, aggressive nails. Sitting up, he observe the environment. Oh. He’s been here plenty of times. Recognizing the eerie atmosphere. The sepia tones coloring the landscape. And if he were to look behind himself, a tree should be right there. With a thick branch wriggling around. And _it_ would sit at the branch. Crouched and smiling, like the Cheshire Cat. Just less fluffy and more disgusting. That much he knows. Yet, he turns around to look. He take in the tree, the branch and… the lack of the creature. _Shit_. He panics. Whenever it’s not there that means it has escaped. He tries to get up, but his legs give in and he crashes back down. He crawls. Away from the tree. But he’s slow and he can feel the ground beneath him turn into mud. Slowly sinking, desperately trying to get back up to the surface. For once he wants to stay in his nightmare. Because he knows that waking up would terrify him a lot more than his current whereabouts. But he can’t help but give up, and let his body get pulled down.

When Junhee awakens from the nightmare he’s _stuck_. It’s there. Hanging above him with limbs twisted like a circus animal. He’s not supposed to see it in the darkness, yet it has its eyes glued to him. A cold sensation travels along his spine and he desperately wants to get out of there. But he can’t. Heart threatening to tear through his rib cage. _Calm down_. He’s been through this more times than he can count. It will be over, the creature can’t actually harm him. Wiggling his toes in an attempt to awaken his sleeping body. It never helps, but he still tries. It’s difficult, it’s been a while since he had a sleep paralysis. Especially this strong. The creature hovers over him. Junhee’s mouth is open, just a bit. Channeling all his focus to his vocal cords. The same cords that are capable of producing all sorts of sounds. Right now they are still. Won’t vibrate. And it feels like an eternity before the hideous creature finally give in and swirl, spiraling into a black hole. Eventually Junhee’s body catches up and he bolts.

Junhee is half-running and half-walking. Careful not to wake the others while he escapes the room. He need water. More importantly, he need to get away. Suddenly his toe hits one of the thresholds. A striking pain runs through his entire body, causing him to let out a groan. He’s not used to this dorm. The creaking wood underneath reveals the aging state of the building. The kitchen sink is a bit rusty. It looks nostalgic. The running water rings in his ears as he splashes his face. Suddenly a pair of hands hit his shoulders. Junhee’s knees go weak, hitting the counter with a thud. Before even realizing what’s going on, the hands find their way around his waist, trying their best to steady him.

“Hey…” the voice so gentle it’s barely even there. It washes away some of his anxiety.

“It’s just me.” Donghun’s tone has a humorous touch to it. Almost as if he’s laughing.

The situation is absurd and Junhee is terrified of having a breakdown. His bare feet are turning unbelievably cold and the last thing he want is for the oldest to see the tears building up in the corners of his eyes. That’s a lie. Nothing is worse than _t_ _hat_ _._ The mere thought of returning to his room sets his body into a fit of trembles. Heat pooling in his cheeks.

Donghun’s arms snakes around his body. Crossing his chest and torso, as if he’s trying to cover as much of Junhee as possible. And then he press, tightly. Not the kind of pressure which the demon is capable of creating. It was the same amount of force, but there was a softness to it.

It’s been such a long time since he last cried. One could blame it on the lack of time, or perhaps it was the position he was in. The fear of showing his flaws to the rest. He had been given this important role, which he treasured. Still there where times when he felt completely lost. Right now, for example. Junhee couldn’t breathe. Tears flowing.

Donghun is silent. He waits for the shivering to stop before asking,

“Another nightmare?”  
  
A weak nodding. It’s more than that.  
  
“Sleep paralysis.” Junhee whispers into the dark kitchen.  
  
_Sleep paralysis._ The mantra he uses to convince himself that it’s all in his head, that there’s nothing wrong with him. He just happens to be cursed. Having to go to sleep afraid of waking up to that monster straddling his chest. Not that it should bother him that much anymore. Getting used to functioning on little to no sleep was normal for all of them, for Junhee it had been normal since he was a kid. Saying it out loud felt good though. At some point Donghun’s hands had settled to rest on his waist. Fingers kneading in consistent, circular movements.

“It’s when you-” Junhee stops himself.

He knows that Donghun knows exactly what it is. He has mentioned it many times before, even in interviews, and he has explained it to the rest of them. Just the basic stuff though. Not the part where he can’t breathe or when he desperately wants to scream for help but is unable to. In this situation he feel the need to defend himself, so he continues:  
  
“It’s still there. I know for sure. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen, Donghun. Leathery skin. Climbing the walls like a lizard. Scrawny like it would break by its wrists any minute, yet it fills me with an overpowering feeling of agony. I can’t move and it knows that. That’s why it’s so powerful. And I can’t breathe. I’m-”

He inhales deeply.

“I’m terrified.”

Donghun is silent and Junhee realizes that they haven’t locked eyes yet.

“Sleep with me.”

Junhee didn’t think Donghun’s voice could get any softer.

“Shit- that came out wrong, you know what I mean- like, n-next to me- maybe it’d help?”

Junhee can’t help but giggle. That’s the effect Donghun has on him. His words provides Junhee with the same amount of comfort as his family’s. It’s weird, really, but that’s what years together can do to two people. He turns around to find the other man looking at him. Worried eyes seeking answers in his own. Donghun is only wearing underwear and his hair is a mess. Not an unfamiliar look, yet it feels different. It’s nice, Junhee thinks. Less intimidating and more… gentle. Even cute, he admits to himself. Nodding is all he musters and Donghun’s hand feels warm as he leads him to the cursed room. Junhee wants to run back to where Donghun’s bed is but he understands why he shouldn’t.

“You might want to get rid of that shirt.” Donghun whispers.  
  
Junhee desperately wants to turn off the lights. Cursing his easily reddened cheeks. Not until then, he realizes how completely soaked in sweat he is. Blushing a bit more at the fact that he interpreted Donghun’s words in a slightly different way. Donghun waits until Junhee’s comfortably in bed before he turn the lights off and slides next to the younger.

He’s unsure why, but Donghun’s arms find their way around him. Quite naturally. Pulling him closer. Now his face is pressed to his neck. Legs tangling. It's uncomfortable, embarrassing and hard to breathe.  
  
“Is this okay?”  
  
Junhee exhales at Donghun’s question. It should feel weird, but it sends fuzzy sparks throughout Junhee’s body.  
  
“Yes.”

More than okay.

Donghun nuzzles into his hair, turning Junhee’s heart into a hammering mess. This is ridiculous. He's known Donghun for years. They touch each other constantly. However, this is different. Everything is dark and silent, aside from his heartbeat thumping in his ears. Can Donghun hear it too?  
  
“I lied today, you were the cutest Piccolo.”

Junhee’s brain blanks. Piccolo? Oh, the hat. The stupid, green hat. He doesn’t bring up the crying incident earlier and Junhee relaxes for a second before the meaning of Donghun’s words sink in. Junhee is normally the chatter box among them. The one that Donghun tugs by the sleeve, asking for the right words. But tonight Junhee’s brain won’t cooperate. It’s clouded by the smell of Donghun. He likes Donghun. Even though he sometimes act like he’s younger than him or cries during movies, he’s always been Junhee’s number one source of comfort. Everything about Donghun is soft. His voice, his gestures, his words. His skin, which is currently pressed against Junhee’s. Junhee will admit, his eyes tend to wander towards the other’s lips, maybe down to his collarbones sometimes. He likes Donghun. A lot. There might be some tension between them. Constantly making fun of each other, but Donghun is too hard to read for Junhee. They banter most of the times, which makes it difficult for him to know for sure. But Donghun just called him cute and now he’s silent. _Wait_ , he should give him an answer.

“You were also very cu-” his voice cracks.

Junhee is sure he can feel his soul leave the body. Donghun laughs. His body vibrates and it fills Junhee with warmth. He giggles along with Donghun’s laugh, at his own embarrassing acts. They laugh for a minute. Maybe five. Junhee doesn’t keep track of the time.

“We should sleep.” Donghun muses after their laughter dies down.

“But hey, don’t be scared. I’m right here, okay?”

Junhee bites his lower lip. Scared of letting out some weird noise. He can’t breathe and, strangely, it puts his mind at ease. Junhee’s just a bit overwhelmed. Shocked by how good it feels. And thankful. Oh, so thankful. For Donghun and his arms around him. Lulling him into a gentle night of sleep.

 


End file.
